What powers does Britain's Royal Family have?

Answer 1

The British Royal Family, as an institution, has little power over the people. However, the Queen does have some power.

Many people think that today the Queen is simply a figure head, and while her role in the government is largely ceremonial, British law does dictate to her a decent amount of power. The Queen has Royal Prerogatives, which are powers she can use at will. These Royal Prerogatives entail:

1) Closing Parliament

2) Appointing the Prime Minister

3) Dismissing the Prime Minister

4) Vetoing a Law

5) Declaring War/Peace

6) Issuing a Pardon

7) Issuing Honors

Now some of these powers are used commonly and at no discretion of others. For example Her Majesty may gives honors, whether in the form of a title of nobility or an Order. However there are others that she does not use quite commonly, as they would cause a constitutional crisis. If the Queen were to disregard the will of the people after an election, refuse to accept the new Prime Minister, and appoint her own, the public would be furious. Overstepping the bounds of her power could bring down the monarchy.

There have been many instances when the Queen has used some of these powers. For example when Parliament passed a declaration of war against Iraq, the Queen refused to sign it. The law dictates that the Queen is not encouraged to, but can, use her powers in defiance to her government. She was doing so here to show that she thought war with Iraq was a bad idea. In the end Britain did go to war with Iraq, but only after Iraq attacked British soil, and the war was still called a de-facto war because the Queen never gave permission to declare war.

Whenever these executive powers are used, because Great Britain is a democracy, the House of Commons can overturn them. So, it can be argued that great power lies within the hands of the monarch through these Prerogative powers. But at the same time, if the people want to, they can overrule her decisions through Parliament.